Method of forming axle housings



'swfu 4, 192s.l 1,683,047

T. E. MURRAY. JR. ET AL ramon oF pomme im HoU'snG-s Filed March 1. 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2 IN VENTORS F1o/mq.:- URRA :fc/"P,

v BY HER wr/ MLM/11.5.

/MM, A TTORNEY i' iept. it, 1928 lvl'lTD STATES 1,633,047 PATENT OFFICE.

@HOM E.. MURRAY, JR., AND HERBERT H. WILLIAMS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK; Sim WXLLIAMS ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS E. MURRAY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

Application filed March 1,

The invention aims to provide an economical axle housing, with particular reference to the end portions thereof. s

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 is a plan of a complete axle housing;

Fig. 3 is a plan of a blank from which segment of the housing is formed;

Fig. l is a plan of a segment bent up from a blank;

Fig. 'is a cross-section of F ig. 4 on the line t'Ti-5; f

F ig. 6 .is a cross-section of an end of the housing first formed;

Fig. 7 is a partial view of the same after finishing;

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are views similar to AFig. 6 illustrating modifications;

Figs. 11, 12 and 13 illustrate an alternative method of production, in successive Figs. 14, 15 and 16 illustrate modifications on the same principle;

Fig. 17 is a longitudinal section illustrating another modification;

Figs. 18, 19 and 2O are respectively a longitudinal section and an end and side elevation illustrating another method; and

Figs. 21, 22 and 23 are similar views of another m'flification;

igs. 24g, 25 and 2G illustrate a combination of the steps illustrated in the other heures; being respectively a blank and, a section and end View of the product.

The axle housing has a central annular port-ion 1 formed approximately on a circle about a transverse axis, and end portions 2 .constituting tubes on a longitudinal axis. The housing is made of segments united along longitudinal edges, preferably by butt Welded joints 31. The segment-s may be made from half-length blanks united by transverse joints e through the central portion, as described in a copending application of Thomas E. Murray, jr., No. 170,177, filed February 23, 1927. 0n the ends of the housing are flanges indicated as a Whole by the numeral 5. l

Such housings may be made up in various Ways, one of Which is illustrated in Figs. 23 to 7. Fig.. shows al flat blank made up of two half-lengths 6 with a transverse butt weld 7 at the center, this blank is then bent and dra Wn to the segmental shape of Figs. 1 and and tivo of such segments welded together as explained in connection with Figs. 1 and 2.

1927. Serna No. 171,756.

The central portion 8, Fig. 11, is approximately semicireular about the transverse axis, with inwardly bent edges or flanges 9, and the end portions are substantially semicircular.

The blank of Fig. 3 has at the ends lat-l sheet in one piece with the adjoining parts of the housing; so that the end iange costs practically nothing additional as far as steel is concerned. There is a large saving of labor in such an integral end flange compared, with the usual separately formed piece applied to the ends of' the tube. 'lhe flange is thicker than the wall of the tube, as it should be for strength. In compressing the end folds 4together the pressing tools are gauged to move to a certain distance from the center of the middle ring 1 so that they determine accurately and identically the length of each end of the housing, and also the overall length. rlhe widths of the fianges are varied according to the extent of' the compressing movement, but this is unimportant and the length can be determined `Without considering the resulting width. The main bending operations to form the segments may be performed cold, but the bending up operations on the flanges are best performed by first heating the metal. This permits certain operations in the nature of hot forging by which certain supplementary advantages can be obtained.

rlhe complete operation, as We prefer to practice it consists in stamping out the half blanks, welding them together in Whole blanks, shearing or otherwise removing the flash or extruded metal at the Weld, bending the blanks in a succession of operations of the usual kind to form segments, trimming the bowl or central annulus, but Weld ing the longitudinal joints While enclosing the reinforcing ring, removing the outside flash and the inside flash except at the ends,

heating the ends and flattening them while gauging them with reference to -the center of the annulus and truing or lining up the product. Various supplementary operations may be performed, as described hereinafter,

for example. Variations ma also be introduced vin 'the operations a ve described.

The welding of the longitudinaljoint may' 4By heating the ends of the housing the 'extra metal at these points can be folde not Awith the folded over l `forming an extra ply 2 only into two plies but into a practically integral flange 18, Fig.` 8, of double thickness. This is done by placing dies at the back and front faces and -subjecting the hot metal to such pressure as to weld the .parts together along the line indicated at v19 and at the same time form the flange accurately. f

Fig. 9shows how theendscan bebent 1n two plies 14 and 15 with a tubular lextension 20 beyond the flange.' u,

Fig. 10 shows a solid flange 18 like: that of Fig. 8 and shows a length 21 of tubing upset in the forv'ing operation to form a wall of extra thic ness which' strenothens this portion of the tube and provides an imlproved support for bearings and other fit,

tings Big. 11 is an edge view of a strip 22 which is flat and has an endy portion 23 folded over` against it. Such a strip may then be and the bent portions 12 and 13 as before, portion of the strip arel compressedY endwise' we have the result shown in Fig. 13, a flange 25three times as thick as the wall 2 of the tube..

. l By folding over a longer portion at the end of the will be as in Fi 14 with the extra. metal at -v`v26150 that the nished fla ply. By foldin4 over a stil greater length'w Lof the strip an this back again an extra ply appears ast strip, the' bent up product then doubling the end of at 27, flange. by still'further increasing theend of the last fold the. added portion will appear as at 28, Fig. 1G, and the result will be' a six-ply flange. vThis extended as desired.;vv L

`The'ends of the housing 'ay be strengthened without Hanging by a similar metliod.

" Fig. 17 shows the end.` f a sav ent reinforced by 'an' extra ply 28. T is is made from a strip like that of Fig. 11, folded over at the end. The extra ply maybe on either the outside or the inside ofthe segment. Two such segments welded together will resent the extra ply 28 as an extra tube rein orcing the end of the tube 2. By fold- When these parte" The several sup e will be foul 15, so as to produce a five-ply-A d.

principle may be.

ing the end of the'strip a second time, we can secure a reinforcement similar to that of Fig. 15 of three thicknesses at one point and two thicknesses at another; or similar to that of Fig 16, of three thicknesses throughout. And this principle can be extended at will. and claimed in a pendinfr application |of Thomas E. Murray, Serialllo. 166,625, filed February 8, 1927. Inthe `present application it is claimed onl in connection with axle housings made o segments struck up from flat blanks, in which connection it provides a most economical method of effecting un advantageous thickenin Y of the housing walls where they particu arly require it.'

We have described thebutt welding of the segments together, and we believe this is the best method of uniting the segments.

This method is described are so shaped that when they are joined to form the tube 2 the longitudinal joint 29 (butt-weld or arc-weld or other type) ends at the beginning of the bends 12 and 13, leaving spaces 30 between the edges of the opposed segments. These may be filled with metal deposited by the electric arc indicated at 31, Fig. 20, deposited either before or after pressing the parts together toform I thelange 5. bentas in Fig. 12 tofform the, end tube 2 .may be compressed an forged to form the flange' 5 of'I ig. 23. l

lementary operations of folding the ends o the blank to overlap ing positions, compressing the flanges and orgmg the ends and extending the butt weld to but not including the end portions are illus- .tratedin Figs. 24 to 26.l The ends of the segments are folded over in the same way as .in Fig. 12, but with recessed portions so that when they are joined to form the semi- Figs. 21 to 23, the. minus l finished tube of Fig. 24 they are butt welded along` the line 29 leaving spaces 30 between the portions which are to form the flan e. These portions are then compressed endw1se and forged to form the flanges 34, Figs. 25 and 26, and the upset wall portion 35 of extra thickness, with radial slots 36 which are afterwards filled in with de osited metal 37 to unite the parts and comp ete the annular flan e.

Tile end flanges and method of forming 'them indicated 1n Figs. 1 to 6 are covered in an application of Herbert H. Williams, Ser. No. 83,331 filed Januar 23, 1926; and the combination method o forming such end flanges on half-length blanks, in the a plication of Thomas E Murray, jr. a ve referred to. The present application is directed to the particular improvements illustrated in the other figures.

Various other modifications in the design and method. of operation may be made by those skilled in the art Without 'departing from the invention as defined in the following claims.

What we claim is 1. The method of forming axle housings which consists in forming flat blanks, folding back the ends of said blanks to form overlapping portions of extra thickness, then bending said blanks with their overlapping portions into segments and uniting the segments along longitudinal edges.

2. The method of forming axle housings which consists in forming fiat blanks, folding back the ends of said blanks While flat to form overlapping portions of multiple thickness, then bending such blanks with their overlapping portions up to segmental shape with the end portions bent outward and inward in longitudinal section and unit-- ing the segments along longitudinal edges and compressing the end portions in the longitudinal direction to form flanges `of more than two plies in thickness.

3. The method of forming axle housings which consists in bendinnr up sheet metal to form segments having ieir end portions bent outward and inward in longitudinal section, uniting said segments together along longitudinal edges, heating the ends and compressing them endwise -to form flanges and-to forge them as desired and simultaneously u setting the ends of the tubes back of the anges.

4. The method of forming axle housings which consists in bending up sheet metal to form segments having their end portions bent outward and inward in longitudinal section, uniting said segments together along longitudinal edges by Welds extending to but not including said end portions and compressing .the end portions in the longitudinal direction to form flan es.

5. The method of orming axle housings which consists in bending u sheet metal to form segments having then` end portions bent outward and inward in longitudinal section, uniting said segments together by butt welds extending to but not including `said end portions, uniting said end portions together b deposited metal and compressing the end p rtions in the longitudinal direction to form flanges.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto y signed our names.

THOMAS E. MURRAY, J a. HERBERT H. WILLIAMS. 

